My favorite part of Thanksgiving has always been my mom's stuffing recipe, which has been passed down through generations. I've veganized it (with a few additions of my own of course) and prepared it in a number of different ways over the years. One of my favorite applications is stuffed acorn squash. It makes a beautiful addition to any Thanksgiving table.
Get started by cooking up your veggies: shallots, celery, mushrooms and spinach. Once they're all soft and juicy, start adding some stale bread.
Stir the bread in a handful at a time while sprinkling it with a small amount of vegetable broth or water. You want to use just enough liquid to make the bread moist and chewy but not enough to make it mushy. How much broth or water you use will depend on how hard your bread is.
Now comes, according to mom, the most important part: the mustard. Don't skip it!
After the stuffing has been prepared, fancy the squash up with some olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then, pile it high with stuffing and wrap it tightly in foil.
I like to bake it for 40 minutes, unwrap it, and then bake it another 10. This makes it brown and crispy on top.
Thanksgiving Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 6
Ingredients
1/4 cup vegan margarine
2 shallots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
2 cups baby spinach
10 slices stale bread, cut into 1/2” pieces
1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
3 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
a few dashes of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Melt margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add celery and mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms reduce in size and become juicy. Add spinach and cook another minute or until it wilts.
- Stir in bread pieces a handful at a time, sprinkling with a small amount of broth or water. Continue until the bread becomes soft but not mushy. You may need to use more or less liquid depending on how hard your bread is.
- Mix in mustard, herbs, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Brush the insides and tops of the squash with olive oil. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pile mushroom mixture firmly and evenly into the cavities, then wrap each squash half tightly in aluminum foil. Arrange on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 40 minutes, then carefully unwrap foil. Bake for another 10 minutes or until squash is very tender and stuffing is browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.